Centrifugal elevator



H. w. CREAGER CENTRIFUGAL ELEVATOR 2 ShetS-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 18, 1945 la IZ-w IIII'FIIII- INVENTOR.

HEP/VAN 14/ e5 65,? BY

ATTORNEY.

April 5, 1949. r H. w. CREAGER 2,466,210

CENTRIFUGAL ELEVATOR Filed Sept. 18, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. fifP/VA/Y )4. 09679652 7 ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 5, 1949 UNITED SATES- TENT OFFICE CENTRIFUGAL ELEVATOR Herman W. Creager, near Arvada, Colo.

Application September 18, 1945; ScrialNo. 617,088

3. Claim.. 1

This invention relates to means and devices for the translation and elevation of granular material, such as grain, and has as an object to provide an improved power-driven unit Whereto and wherethrough such material may be fed for convenient and eificient propulsion to ultimate destination.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved power-driven device operable to efficiently apply centriiugally-generated forces to the elevation and translation of granular material.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved construction and operative association of elements constituting a centriiugallyeffective grain elevator.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved construction and operative association of stator and power-driven rotor constituting a centrifugally-efiective grain elevator. 1

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved grain translating and elevating unit that is simple and inexpensive of construction, susceptible of practical development in a wide variety of sizes and consequent capacities, that is adapted for convenient operative association with feed and. delivery means of various types and constructions in a variety of installations adapted for the handling of many difierent materials, that is efiicient to the accomplishment of the ends for which desired, durable in use, and arranged for simple and convenient repair, maintenance, and rehabilitation.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a perfected embodiment of the invention as assembled and connected ready for practical use, portions of associated agencies being broken away to conserve space. Figure 2 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, through the stator element of the construction shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a vertical section taken substantially on the indicated line 33 of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a fragmentary, detail section taken on the indicated line 4-4 of Figure" 2.

shown, the stator element ofthe unit' is illustrated as an axially-horizontal, substantiallycylindrical housing formed with a tangential, up-- wardly-directed outlet. The stator housing is preferably and conveniently formed from a pair of like sideplates l0 and H'- cut to an approxi-- mately rectangular outline with one upper corner curved t0 conform with the arc ofthe maximum circle accommodated by the plate andwith the other upper corner vertically extended by means of a plate offset or rectangular lu'g l2, and a strip 13 of. uniform Width corresponding with the desired spacing between the plates I 0 and I I, which strip is. marginally secured to and between said plates in any conveniently permanent manner, as by means of welding, to align with the straight sid'e: margins of the plates I0 and H- from the upper, outer corners of the offsets t2 to intersection with' the horizontal diameter of the maxi mum circleinscribable on said plates, and thence follow and conform-withthe outline of such circle through an arc of 270 degrees, including the arcuate plate corners, and thence extend from' intersection withv the vertical diameter of said circle horizontally between and in alignment with the'plate-upper straight margins to'the inner'side' of the offset 12, and thence upwardly between and in alignment with said offset inner marginsto termination at the upper, inner ofiset corners. Thus, the strip l3"- serves to interconnect the plates Wand H in parallel relation and to form an enclosure wall defining a cylindrical, hollow chamber communicating with a tangential outlet defined by the ofisets l2 and the strip ends engaged therewith. The straight lower margins of the plates 10 and I! provide a convenient base on which the stator may be disposed with the axisof its cylindrical housing horizontal and the housing outlet directed upwardly, which is the position of normal use for the unit, and lower corners of said plates fil and H may be stiffened and" braced by short lengths M of angle iron permanently interconnectedtherebetween and thus conveniently disposed to serve,'if desired, as means for securing the unit toa suitable'basee The stator housing rotatably accommodates a rotorassembl y, for which purpose a straight shaft [5 engages at one end through a suitable opening in the" side plate N)"- andprojects inwardly and axially of the stator cylindrical housing to termination inwardly adjacent the plate II, the major portion of said shaft l5 projecting outwardly from the plate in for journaled reception in and through spaced bearings l6 exterior to the stator housing and rigidly carried by a supporting plate I! secured at one margin to the outer face of the plate i and extending perpendicularly and outwardly therefrom, a leg 18 fixedly depending from an outer margin of said plate l'i serving as a ground-engageable support for maintenance of said plate in the desired shaft-aligning relation with the stator housing. The shaft 15 preferably projects outwardly beyond the margin of the plate I! remote from the stator and fixedly engages with a suitable pulley 19, or equivalent means, connectible, as by means of a belt 28, with a source of power whereby said shaft may be rotated in its bearings at desired speed. Interiorly of the stator housing the shaft 15 engages through and fixedly with the hub 2i from which a plurality, in this instance six, of arms 22 fixedly radiate substantially centrally of the stator housing, said arms 22 preferably and conveniently being straight lengths T-shaped in cross section so associated with the hub 2| as to position their plane head surfaces radially of the shaft and correspondingly directed relative to shaft rotation. The arms 22 may be of any suitable or desired length less than the radius of the cylindrical chamber wherein contained, and each of said arms fixedly supports and operatively carries a scoop blade 23 removably and replaceably secured, as by means of bolts 24, thereto. The direction of shaft l5 rotation and the disposition of the arms 22 relative to said shaft is such as to move the flat, unribbed heads of said arms in natural discharging relation with the housing tangential outlet, and the blades 23 are secured to and against the heads of said arms to supplement and facilitate such tangential discharge, for which purpose each of said blades is formed as a flat, rectangular sheet of rigid material, such as metal, of a length to extend from a point spacedly adjacent the hub 2| to close clearing relation at its outer end with the inner surface of the strip l3, and of such width, when its opposite lone side margins are bent forwardly in the direction of rotation at an angle with the plane of the blade base, to substantially fill the space between and operate in close clearing relation with the plates H3 and ll. While the blades 23 are longitudinally straight, their cross-sectional form deviates from a plane for operative reasons of considerable importance. It is the function of the blades 23 to act as scoops in engagement with the material to be moved and to translate centrifugal forces of rotor rotation into linear grain velocities directed through the housing outlet, for which purpose it has been found efiective to form said blades as shallow troughs whereof the parralel side margins are inclined to the plane of the blade base, diverging from said blade base forwardly in the direction of rotor rotation at a uniform moderate angle throughout the blade length, substantially as shown in Figure 4.

Opposite the end of the shaft 15, the plat ll is centrally apertured, as at 25, to provide means for the input of material to the stator housing interior, said aperture 25 being arranged for communication and registration, exteriorly of the housing, with a gravity delivery chute 2B, hopper, or any other convenient or desired means for the direction of ranular material to and through said aperture. As will be readily apparent, the effective size of the aperture 25 should be suitably proportioned to the operative capacity of the improved unit, such proportioning introducing consideration of factors such as stator housing size, rotor blade area, rotor speed of revolution, nature and character of the granular material to be moved, degree of material elevation desired, and size and form of outlet conduit associated with the device. Obviously, the factors determinative of aperture 25 proportional size preclude any definitive statement which would prove to be generally applicable, but in no event should the aperture 25 size be such as will introduce inflow of material to such extent as might impair the operative speed and choke the device.

The upstanding outlet from the stator housing provided by the offsets l2 and associated strip l3 ends telescopes within and is conveniently secured, as by means of interengageable lugs 21, with the lower end of a suitably-shaped thimble 28 operatively associated with a pipe or conduit 29 wherethrough material flow may be directed to the ultimate desired destination.

In the operation of the improved device, the elements of the complete assembly being arranged and interconnected in a suitable and desired manner and the rotor assembly of the unit being power driven at suitable speed, granular material fed from the chute 28 through the aperture 25 to the stator housing interior is received on and adjacent the inner ends of the scoop blades 23 and is held against said scoop blades while impelled to move longitudinally and outwardly therealong by the centrifugal forces generated through rotor rotation, the said material massing at the end of each blade adjacent the arouate housing wall and moving along said wall at the attained velocity of the blade outer end until the said wall straightens out for communication with the stator outlet and permits blade release of the material for linear travel through said outlet, thimble 28, and conduit 29 by virtue of the velocities thereto imparted. It may be that air necessarily circulated through the device is of some assistance in the translation and elevation of the material fed therethrough, but the device is in no sense an air blower, utilizing instead the mechanically-transmitted centrifugal forces to accomplish the desired results.

Since many changes, variations, and modifications in the specific form, construction, and arrangement of the elements shown and described may be had without departing from the spirit of my invention, I wish to be understood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claim, rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention:

In a centrifugal elevator having a cylindrical stator housing and a shaft rotatable axially of said housing, a rotor unit on said shaft interiorly of and for cooperation with said housing, said unit comprising a shaft-engageable, straight, cylindrical hub of a length approximating the housing axial dimension, a plurality of like, separate, rigid arms, T-shaped in section, end-welded in uniform angular spacing to the midportion of said hub to project radially therefrom with their plane outer head surfaces radially coplanar with the hubaxis and similarly directed, a flat, rectangular blade removably and replaceably secured to each of said arms in centrally-overlying, outwardly-projecting relation with the associated arm plane head surface for close-clearing cooperation of its outer end and side margins with the housing walls and spaced relation of its inner Number Name Date end outwardly from said hub, and side margins 1,349,948 Echterling Aug. 17, 1920 on each of said blades correspondingly angularly 1,401,583 Christoph Dec. 27, 1921 ofiset in a direction away from the associated arm 1,431,780 Daignault Oct. 10, 1922 to define a. shallow, flat-bottomed, laterally-con- 5 1,584,791 Miller May 18, 1926 verged trough longitudinally of the blade. 1,686,793 Brcecinski Oct. 9, 1928 HERMAN W. CREAGER. 1,856,398 Parker May 3, 1932 1,900,213 Wenberg Mar. 7, 1933 R NC CITE 2,239,913 Hall Apr. 29, 1941 10 2,269,520 Crites Jan. 13, 1942 The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 973,495 Fritz et a1 Oct. 25, 1910 16 2,291,871 Bokum et a1 Aug. 4, 1942 

